Means for making slub or flake spun yarn from continuous filaments



March 22, 1949. c. E. NEISLER, JR 2,464,832

MEANS FOR MAKING SLUB OR FLAKE SPUN YARN FROM CONTINUQ US FILAMENTS Filed May :51, 1946 INVENTOR" mm .'uaave Nnsue Jk.

ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 22, 1949 MEANS FOR MAKING SLUB OR FLAKE SPUN YARN FROM CONTINUOUS FILAMENTS Charles Eugene Neisler, J r., Kings Mountain, N. 0. Application May 31, 1946, Serial No. 673,489 4 Claims. (Cl. 57-2) This invention relates to a method of and means for making slub or fiak'e spun yarn.

The primary object of the present invention is the provision of a method of and means for making slub or flake spun yarn from continuous filamentary rayon bya direct spinning process in which staple fiber for spinning into yarn is produced from a tow or sliver of continuous rayon filaments and spun into a yarn or thread.

The invention and the above and other objects, features and advantages thereof will be fully understood from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side view illustrating more .or less invention and illustrating the method of this in vention;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the apparatus.

In accordance with the preferred method of practicing the present invention a sliver or tow of continuous filamentary rayon or other suitable filaments is treated 50 as to at least partially sever some but not all of the filaments of the sliver or tow at various points in the sliver, and the latter having said at least partially severed filaments therein is treated in a machine or apparatus which operates to rupture the filaments into staple fibers or lengths suitable for spinning, for example, as described in my application, Serial No. 640,727, filed January 12, 1946, now abandoned. As described in said application the rayon staple passes from between a pair of front rolls to the spinning device, said rolls coacting with companion rearwardly spaced rolls to rupture the rayon filaments whereby to form the staple fiber from said filaments. The front rolls of the machine rotate at a substantially greater peripheral surface speed than the back rolls, so that the filaments in the tow are tensioned and ruptured into staple fiber, and as a result of the pre-severing of some but not all of the filaments of the tow or sliver, the yarn spun from said staple fiber is formed with slubs or flakes.

As illustrated in Fig. 1 the sliver or tow of continuous rayon filaments is drawn from a suitable supply (not shown) and pass around and between diagrammatically the apparatus of the present small radial projections or prongs indicated at 22, said prongs being preferably, but not necessarily, arranged more or less irregularly on the peripheral surface of the roll. By way of illustration, but without limitation, it may be noted that said prongs are about 4; inch long and are about 5'! inch in thickness. As shown in the drawings, roll 20 is preferably positioned to engage the tow or sliver F on the upper back roll It. It will be understood that the action of roll 20 on tow F against roll [0 is to nick, cut, or partially cut, or sever, somebut not all of the filaments of the tow as the latter passes between roll 20 and roll It. In passing from the set of back rolls to the front rolls l6 and I8 the filaments in the tow are ruptured into staple fiber or lengths suitable for spinning due to the tension on the filaments, and the staple fiber which passes from the front rolls I6 and I8 is spun into a yarn or thread It will be understood that any other suitable spinning device may be utilized in lieu of the illustrated ring type of spinning device.

As illustrated in Fig. 2, it is convenient, in the apparatus of the present invention toprovide two pronged rolls 20 for operation in unison with a companion back roll l0. Accordingly, as here shown, said two pronged rolls are mounted on a spindle or shaft 30 for rotation in unison. It will be observed that two tows or slivers F disposed in laterally spaced relation pass between the upper back roll l0 and the companion pronged rolls 20, respectively, and that the staple fiber produced from said tows pass from the front rolls l6 and ill to the companion spinning frames S, respectively. 01 course, it will be understood that a larger number of prongedrolls disposed in spaced relation longitudinally of the companion roll may and ordinarily will be provided in the apparatus in actual practice. By way of illustration, but not in limitation, it may be stated that the back rolls and the front rolls are about 12 inches need be only slightly longer than the width of the companion tow or sliver F of filaments on which they act, respectively. The speeds of the driven front and back rolls and the distance between the front and back rolls are preferably as specified in my above mentioned prior application.

It will be understood that as described above the tow or sliver F when subjected to the action of the pronged roller has some but not all of its filaments at least partially severed at points spaced longitudinally of the tow, the distance between said points of severance being preferably variable and irregular. By way of illustration it may be stated that the particular filaments which, in the tow, are engaged by the prongs of the pronged roll 20 are nicked or cut at points spaced about two inches apart along the length of the filament, but it will be understood that this distance may be smaller or greater depending upon the desired flake or slub effect on the yarn spun from the staple fiber produced by the operation of the front roll l6 and I8 in conjunction with the back rolls. It will be understood that the term severed or severing as used herein and in the claims includes nicking or weakening of the filaments as well as cutting of the filaments by the action thereon of the prongs 22 so that the filaments which are thus acted upon by said prongs are more readily ruptured as the treated sliver or tow passes from the back rolls to the front rolls than are the filaments which, in the tow, are not acted upon by said prongs. Also it will be understood that nylon, as well as other continuous filaments of synthetic material, may be used for producing slub or flake yarn in accordance with the present invention.

It will be understood that various changes in the method and in the apparatus of the present invention may be made withoutdeparting from 'the underlying idea or principles of this invention within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and'desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Means for making slub or flake spun yarn from a sliver or tow of continuous filaments,

comprising means for at least partially severing some but not all of the filaments of the tow at points spaced longitudinally of the sliver or tow, means for drawing said sliver or tow and for dividing the latter into lengths for spinning, and means for spinning the lengths into yarn, said severing means comprising a roll provided with radially projecting portions spaced from each other axially of said roll and engageable with 4 only some of the filaments of the-tow or sliver before the latter is divided into said lengths.

2. Means for making slub or flake spun yarn from a sliver or tow of continuous filaments, comprising means for at least partially severing some but not allof the filaments of the tow at points spaced longitudinally of the sliver or tow, means including front and back rolls for drawing said sliver or tow and for dividing the latter into lengths for spinning, and means for spinning the lengths into yarn, said severing means comprising a roll provided with radially projecting portions engageable with some but not all of the filaments of the tow or sliver before the latter is divided into said lengths.

3. Means for making slub or flake spun yarn from a sliver or tow of continuous filaments, comprising means for at least partially severing some but not all of the filaments of the tow at points spaced longitudinally of the sliver or tow, means including front and back rolls for drawing said sliver or tow and for dividing the latter into lengths for spinning, and means for spinning the lengths into yarn, said severing means comprising a roll provided with radially projectin portions engageable with some but not all of the filaments of the tow or sliver at said back rolls.

4. In apparatus of the character described which comprises back rolls to which atow or sliver of continuous filaments for forming yarn are supplied and front rolls which rotate at a higher surface speed than said back rolls and which rupture the filaments of the tow into staple fiber, the combination with said rolls of means engageable with only some of the filaments of the tow or sliver for at least partially severing some but not all of the filaments of the tow or sliver before the other filaments are ruptured for forming said staple fiber, said means being engageable with said tow only at points spaced longitudinally of the latter.

CHARLES EUGENE NEISLER, JR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,003,400 Taylor et al. June 4, 1935 2,067,062 Oswald Jan. 5, 1937 2,077,079 Taylor et al Apr. 13, 1937 2,077,320 Hale et a1 Apr. 13, 1937 2,082,840 Lohrke June 8, 1937 2,132,524 Booth Oct. 11, 1938 2,160,178 Sitzler et al May 30, 1939 

